Top 55 TV Programs for Jan. 24-30, 2010
Sunday’s Oklahoman, which includes TV Week, hits the newsstands in the Oklahoma City area on Saturday afternoon. And it arrives at the doorstep (or hopefully nearby) early Sunday morning.
But for those who can’t wait to begin planning the upcoming week around the best TV has to offer, here is a sneak peek at programs worth watching the week of Jan. 24:
NOTE: Times are CST (for EST, add one hour)
SUNDAY, JAN. 24, 2010
◊“Big Love” (8 p.m. on HBO): Bill, Nicki and Cara Lynn hit the road for Washington, D.C., where Bill hopes to score an endorsement. Back home, Margene’s career triumph is marred by a case of mistaken identity.
◊“Cantore Stories” (9 p.m. on The Weather Channel): Hosted by meteorologist Jim Cantore, this new series follows him as he visits some of America’s most amazing climates and meets with extraordinary people who live there. From the swampy marshes of the Louisiana Bayou to the tropical rainforests of Hawaii, each half-hour episode of Cantore Stories will give viewers a glimpse of how residents adapt to life in such environments, as well as explore how these locations impact the world we live in.
◊“Cold Case” (8 p.m. on CBS): The team reopens the 2004 case of a teen who was wrongly sent to a juvenile detention center where he was killed before Valens could make good on his promise to get him released. Bobby Cannavale (“Third Watch”) and Steven Culp (“JAG”) guest star.
◊“CSI: Miami” (9 p.m. on CBS): Three volleyball players mysteriously drop dead on the court while Calleigh’s testimony against Delko threatens his future as a CSI.
Cheryl Ladd (“Charlie’s Angels”) and Tia Carrere (“Dancing With the Stars”) guest star.
◊“CSI: NY” (7 p.m. on CBS): In a rebroadcast of the show’s 100th episode, the team tackles their most unusual case yet: two murder victims within two weeks, both named ‘Mac Taylor.’ Now, Det. Mac Taylor must determine the killer’s motive before they strike again. Chris Daughtrey (“American Idol”), Nelly (“The Longest Yard”), Julia Ormond (“The Wronged Man”) and Scott Wolf (“Everwood”) guest star.
◊“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (7 p.m. on ABC): With music star Ashanti as the celebrity volunteer, the team travels to Buffalo, NY, to help Delores Powell, a Jamaican immigrant and community activist whose home is barely livable despite the work and repairs she has poured into it over the past five and a half years.
◊“Masterpiece Classic” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): Romola Garai (“Atonement”) has the title role in this new three-part adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic “Emma.” She’s a happily single young woman who thinks herself the perfect matchmaker for others. Her friend Mr. Knightley (Jonny Lee Miller, “Eli Stone”) has his doubts.
◊“Nick News: The Face of Courage” (7 p.m. on Nickelodeon): This new installment explores the world of kids who are living with cancer. They have been where no kid should have to go, and they have survived to share their stories – and their courage – with viewers. Linda Ellerbee, the show’s host, is an 18-year cancer survivor.
◊“The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Championships” (3 p.m. on ABC): The event features canines competing in dog diving, agility, 60-weave pole racing and freestyle flying Disc.Olympic diver Greg Louganis, who now trains dogs, competed in the agility event with his dog, Doby.
◊“The Tiniest Girl in the World” (8 p.m. on TLC): Two-year-old toddler Charlotte weighs only seven pounds. She could have a rare form of primordial dwarfism, but until her family gets an official diagnosis, her parents don’t know what treatment she needs or what her life expectancy is.
MONDAY, JAN. 25, 2010
◊“American Experience: Wyatt Earp ” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): This documentary depicts the complexities and flaws of the Western lawman whose life is a lens on politics, justice and economic opportunity on the American frontier.
◊“Animal Planet Investigates: Dog Fighting Exposed” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): This new documentary features unparalleled commentary and never-before-seen footage in a rare look into the secretive world of organized dog fighting. It is the first in a line of quarterly specials that will take a comprehensive, investigative look at timely issues that impact both humans and animals.
◊“Antiques Roadshow” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): Items appraised in the first hour from Atlantic City include a Walt Whitman memoir inscribed by the author, a 19th-century bronze and marble statue by French sculptor Albert Ernest Carrier Belleuse and an oil painting by Canadian artists Cornelius Krieghoff.
◊“Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular” (5 p.m. on Hallmark Channel): Olympic gold-medalist Brian Boitano teams up with Olympic figure skaters Peggy Fleming, Kimmie Meissner and Steven Cousins, who perform routines to the music of rock band Chicago.
◊“Chuck” (7 p.m. on NBC): Chuck must go on his first solo mission to Paris, but he’ll be lucky to survive the flight. Kristin Kreuk (“Smallville”) and Stone Cold Steve Austin (“WWE Smackdown!”) guest star.
◊“Cinema Style: Designer Visions” (7 p.m. on FLN): Hosted by Lloyd Boston (“Closet Cases”), this special highlights the transformation of three New York City Soho lofts from empty places into signature spaces inspired by the Hollywood films “The Big Chill,” “Dinner at Eight” and “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” The projects are brought to life by notable interior designers Thom Filicia, Richard Mishaan and John Saladino.
◊“CSI: Miami” (9 p.m. on CBS): When Miami’s most hated man is murdered, Horatio and his CSI team search for his killer and his hidden treasure. Andrea Parker (“The Pretender”) guest stars.
◊“Damages” (9 p.m. on FX): In Season 3, high-powered lawyer Patty Hewes is overseeing the assets of a family accused of masterminding a Bernie Madoff-esque financial scheme. New cast members Lily Tomlin (“Murphy Brown”) and Len Cariou (“Brotherhood”) portray the heads of the family, and Martin Short (“Saturday Night Live”) plays their attorney. Campbell Scott (“Six Degrees”) and Keith Carradine (“Dexter”) also join the cast.
◊“The Electric Company” (4:30 p.m. on OETA-13): This re-invented version of the series, which returns for Season 2, is designed to appeal to today’s kids with fresh animation, music videos and exciting narrative storylines. It begins with a special three-episode recurring role by kid comedian Kyle Massey (“Cory in the House”), who plays Keith’s cousin, P.J.
◊“Greek” (9 p.m. on ABC Family): In the mid-season premiere, the ZBZ ladies are on edge thinking they may have been responsible for the Gamma Psi house burning down. Casey, Ashleigh and Rebecca lead their sorority sisters in an effort to hide all evidence pointing to the fact that they snuck into the Gamma Psi house prior to the big fire.
◊“Handy Manny School For Tools” (7:25 a.m. on Disney): Inspired by the Emmy-nominated series “Handy Manny” starring Wilmer Valderrama, this three-minute short-film series will feature Manny and his trusty tools alongside a set of 11 new tools: Beamer the laser level, Zip the power socket wrench, Pinzas the needle nose pliers, Sneeze the shop vac, Tick and Totts the socket wrenches, Roland the tool chest, Spinner the power drill and a family of crescent wrenches – dad Lefty, mom Lily and son Junior. The stories are designed to provide young viewers insight into cooperation and the value of individual talent.
◊“The Inbetweeners” (8 p.m. on BBC America): This six-part British comedy series offers a painfully funny take on the squirming humiliations of teenage life. It begins with the new kid in town, Will (Simon Bird), who has unwillingly had to move and change schools. He soon meets Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison), who are neither that cool nor that credible.
◊“Life UneXpected” (8 p.m. on CW): Lux is torn when her boyfriend, Bug (Rafi Gavron, “24”), and best friend, Natasha, suggest that Cate and Baze may not be in it for the long haul and that Lux should return to her old life and the people who love her most of all.
◊“Men of a Certain Age” (9 p.m. on TNT): Joe goes to see his recently retired father (Robert Loggia, “Jagged Edge”), who gives new meaning to the word grumpy. Owen’s wife and mother get upset when a commercial for the auto dealership implies that Owen’s co-worker, Marcus, is actually Owen Sr.’s son. And Terry becomes obsessed over finding out why he has been rejected for a youth mentoring program.
◊“Secret Diary of a Call Girl Special” (9 p.m. on Showtime): Captured on camera for the first time, actress Billie Piper meets the woman she portrays in the series “Secret Diary of a Call Girl.” For six years she was known only as “Belle de Jour,” publisher of an infamous sex blog and several best-selling books. Two months ago, Brooke Magnanti stepped out of the shadows to reveal herself as the real “Belle.” Now a neuroscientist, she joined Piper in a London hotel room to impart secrets of the trade, offer anecdotes about some of her most amusing encounters, reflect on her regrets and giggle as she shares what she considers her greatest assets. Season 3 of the series starts Feb. 1.
◊“Sesame Street” (9 a.m. on OETA-13): Christina Applegate (“Samantha Who?”) presents the “Word on the Street”: Booth.
◊“Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders” (9 p.m. on OETA-13): Music-related stories from around the globe are told in this new newsmagazine. Alexis Bloom is in Russia to report on the popularity of “A Man Like Putin,” a song praising the prime minister for more than his policies. And Arun Rath relates how Sacha Baron Cohen’s brother, Erran, used his musical talent to make amends to the people of Kazakhstan after “Borat.”
◊“Team Umizoomi” (10:30 a.m. on Nickelodeon): This new educational preschool series combines action-adventure missions with an interactive math curriculum designed to help kids develop self-confidence in their math abilities and appreciate the many ways in which mathematics shapes their world. It features a tiny team of superheroes who use their mighty math powers to help little kids solve big problems, and it is set to a soundtrack of preschool-friendly pop songs.
◊“Top Gear” (7 p.m. on BBC America): In the Season 13 premiere, hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May set out to discover what “Top Gear” might have been like 60 years ago. In a race from London to Edinburgh, James drives an old Jaguar XK120 sports car, Richard rides a Vincent Black Shadow motorbike and Jeremy jumps on board the Tornado, a brand-new Peppercorn A1 Pacific Class steam locomotive built to the original blueprints used to create some of Britain’s finest locomotives back in the heyday of the railways.
◊“Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union” (9:30 p.m. on Showtime): Seven-time Emmy winner Tracey Ullman returns for a third season in her sketch comedy series that features a kaleidoscope of original characters and impersonations in a wide collection of skits that range from sardonic parody and social satire to Bollywood musicals.
TUESDAY, JAN. 26, 2010
◊“24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona” (9 p.m. on HBO): HBO takes its popular sports reality television formula from the boxing ring to the racetrack in this new four-part series. It follows the four-time Sprint Cup champion and his team as they prepare for the biggest NASCAR race of the year: the Daytona 500.
◊“American Idol” (7 p.m. on Fox): Singers Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry help Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi critique the talent at the Los Angeles auditions.
◊“The Good Wife” (9 p.m. on CBS): While representing the daughter of one of the partners at the law firm, Alicia finds herself attracted to her co-counsel and his unorthodox approach to defending their client, Chris Bowers (“Rescue Me”) guest stars as Alicia’s co-counsel.
◊“How to See a Black Hole” (8 p.m. on Science Channel): MIT astronomer Shep Doeleman shows viewers never before seen images of a black whole. To accomplish this, Doeleman has synchronized highly accurate atomic clocks with telescopes in Arizona, California and Hawaii. The result is essentially a telescope the size of a continent.
◊“Kitchen Nightmares” (8 p.m. on Fox): In this Americanization of a hit British series, which starts Season 2, chef Gordon Ramsay visits eateries that have fallen on hard times and shows their owners how to turn them around — whether it’s a menu makeover, new decor, a personnel shakeup or all of the above.
◊“NCIS” (7 p.m. on CBS): When the government’s star witness in an embezzlement case is targeted by an assassin, it’s up to the team to help her make it home alive. Dina Meyer (“Burn Notice”) and Ryan Cutrona (“Mad Men,” “24″) guest star.
◊“Southland” (9 p.m. on TNT): Ben reveals details of his past to the department therapist and to his partner, John, making the motivation behind his decision to be a cop clear. Elsewhere, Dewey (C. Thomas Howell, “Hildalgo”) causes a rift in his relationship with his partner when he becomes star struck by Timmy Davis (Tom Sizemore, “Crash”), a famous, self-obsessed actor. But when he loses track of the actor, Chickie finds herself questioning her decision to take him on as her partner.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27, 2010
◊“American Idol” (7 p.m. on Fox): Guest judges Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Joe Jonas (“Jonas”) help Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi critique the talent at the Dallas auditions.
◊“Big Chef Takes on Little Chef” (7 p.m. on Planet Green): Six months after the critically acclaimed opening of a new Little Chef branch, Chef Heston Blumenthal is back to find out if the restaurant he transformed is keeping up with his standards.
◊“Criminal Minds” (8 p.m. on CBS): The team heads to New York’s Long Island to track a killer who mutilates his victims, each in a different way. Rossi would rather skip this one, too, as it’s his hometown, and the case turns out to have both personal and professional repercussions. Cynthia Watros (“Lost”) and D.B. Sweeney (“Jericho”) guest star.
◊“CSI: NY” (9 p.m. on CBS): Following a spray of machine gunfire, the CSI team rises from the chaos. But when one member’s life is significantly changed, it proves to be the emotional motivation they need to piece together their lives and ultimately find the shooter on a rebroadcast of the Season 6 premiere. Sarah Carter (“Shark”) guest stars.
◊“Launch My Line” (9 p.m. on Bravo): In the opener of the two-part season finale, the designers scramble to put the rest of their fashion lines together — adding three new looks to complete their 10-piece collections for the fashion show, where the winner will be crowned.
◊“Leverage” (9 p.m. on TNT): The team is forced to work with their old enemy Sterling in order to free Nate’s ex-wife, Maggie (Kari Matchett, “Heartland”) from a Ukrainian jail and clear her name. Jeri Ryan (“Star Trek: Voyager”) guest stars as a member of the team.
◊“Sesame Street” (9 a.m. on OETA-13): Hugh Jackman (“Viva Laughlin”) presents the “Word on the Street”: Concentrate.
◊“Spectacle: Elvis Costello With …” (9 p.m. on Sundance): In the Season 2 finale, Elvis Costello sits down with Bruce Springsteen. With his guitar in hand, Springsteen opens up about his pre-E Street Band bands, his early and current inspirations, and the resurgence of New Jersey. E Street Band members Nils Lofgren and Roy Bittan sit in for a couple of songs.
◊“Sports Jobs With Junior Seau” (9:30 p.m. on Versus): In the Season 1 finale, former NFL All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau finds out firsy hand that keeping bull riders from getting trampled and gored is one of the most dangerous jobs in all of sports.
◊“The Tavis Smiley Report” (7 p.m. on OETA-13): In the first of four specials that will air throughout 2010, host Tavis Smiley goes behind the scenes with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she completes her first year as America’s chief diplomat and looks ahead to the challenges of the next three years. Smiley has been granted exceptional access to Secretary Clinton and will accompany her on diplomatic missions abroad, to meetings on Capitol Hill and within the State Department itself to give the American public a candid and incisive view of the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy and international relations.
◊“Ugly Betty” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): Wilhemina is furious when she discovers she has a drag queen impersonator – Wilhediva Hater (played by Vanessa Williams’ brother, Chris Williams). The fur flies with unexpected results amid guest stars who include RuPaul Charles (“Drag Race”) as Rudolph, the emcee of the cabaret. Kristen Johnston (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) also guest stars.
THURSDAY, JAN. 28, 2010
◊“Bones” (7 p.m. on Fox): When a human skeleton is discovered in the trenches of an old Civil War battleground, Brennan and Booth are called to the case. While Booth investigates suspects, Hodgins and lab intern Vincent Nigel-Murray (Ryan Cartwright, “Mad Men”) work to clean the bones of a stubborn clay residue. Meanwhile, Booth’s brother, Jared, (Brendan Fehr, “CSI: Miami”) returns from his travels with some suprising news.
◊“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (8 p.m. on CBS): When the CSIs are called to a murder scene at a familiar motel, Nick is thrown for a loop as he pieces together three separate murder investigations that all took place at the same establishment over the course of a year. Taylor Swift (singer) guest stars as Haley Jones, a teenaged girl whose family runs the seedy Vegas motel.
◊“Grey’s Anatomy” (8 p.m. on ABC): The residents of Seattle Grace and Mercy West vie for surgeries and their careers as day one of the hospital merger begins. Meanwhile, Arizona stands by an enraged Callie when her father, Mr. Torres (Hector Elizondo, “Cane”), employs a priest to help convince her to date men, and Izzie experiences the brunt of her new surgical competition.
◊“Live for the Moment” (7 p.m. on CBS): In this new special host Jeff Probst (“Survivor”) takes Roger Childs, a family man diagnosed with ALS, on a series of adventures, creating family memories and sharing powerful life lessons. The inspirational way in which Roger lives his life just might change the way viewers live theirs.
◊“Private Practice” (9:01 p.m. on ABC): Miranda Bailey brings a kidney transplant patient to Los Angeles, and Addison isn’t the only Oceanside Wellness doctor pleased to see her. Meanwhile the consequences of Addison’s emotional affair with Noah catch up with her, and Sheldon and Pete finally discover who the father of Violet’s baby is. Chandra Wilson (“Grey’s Anatomy”) guest stars.
◊“Soundstage” (10 p.m. on OETA-13): The Denver-based band The Fray takes the stage to perform. Among their hits they will sing are “You Found Me,” “Never Say Never,” “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life,” which has been heard on ‘‘Grey’s Anatomy,” ‘‘Scrubs,” ‘‘One Tree Hill” and ‘‘Cold Case.”
◊“The Vampire Diaries” (7 p.m. on CW): Hurting for money, takes a job at the Mystic Grill, where former high school football star Ben (Sean Faris, “Never Back Down”) works as a bartender.
FRIDAY, JAN. 29, 2010
◊“Dollhouse” (7 p.m. on Fox): In the series finale, which is set in the year 2020, Echo and her surviving Dollhouse crew attempt to restore order to a devastating future world before mankind is eliminated.
◊“Ghost Whisperer” (7 p.m. on CBS): In a rebroadcast of the Season 5 premiere directed by series star Jennifer Love Hewitt, Melinda gives birth to a baby boy who also has the gift of seeing spirits.
◊“Law & Order” (7 p.m. on NBC): A teenage boy is brutally murdered in a partking lot and the investigation draws attention to a vicious high school rivalry. Debra Winger (“Dawn Anna”) guest stars.
◊“Miss America Preview” (9 p.m. on TLC): Clinton Kelly (“What Not to Wear”) hosts this special that captures the excitement of all 53 Miss America contestants as they prepare for the 2010 Miss America Pageant.
◊“NUMB3RS” (9 p.m. on CBS): Don and the team must protect high-profile activist Benjamin Polk at a political rally, but it soon becomes a manhunt when they search for a sniper trying to kill Polk. Also, Charlie awaits an answer from Amita about his marriage proposal on a rebroadcast of the Season 6 premiere. Gary Cole (“Entourage”) guest stars.
◊“Shark Tank” (8 p.m. on ABC): A self-proclaimed “Shoe-Professah” from Chicago presents her sassy brand of mobile shoe parties, and the sharks get excited about a re-invention of the umbrella. There is also an update on the Life Belt and its inventor, Robert Allison, who passed up a million-dollar offer from the Sharks last season.
SATURDAY, JAN. 30, 2010
◊“The 2010 Miss America Pageant” (7 p.m. on TLC): Taylor Treat, an Ada native who is the first woman in her family to attend college, will represent Oklahoma at the 89th annual event. Mario Lopez will host the event, and seven judges, including Vivica A. Fox (“The Cougar”) and Rush Limbaugh (radio talk show host), will evaluate the contestants from the preliminaries through the final night of competition, airing live tonight from Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
◊“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (7 p.m. on ABC): Celebrity volunteer Mary J. Blige (six-time Grammy winner) travels with the team to Erie, PA, to help Clara Ward, who has cast the adversity of her health and surroundings aside to run a nonprofit youth development and family center from her home.
◊“Lying to be Perfect” (8 p.m. on Lifetime): Poppy Montgomery (“Without a Trace”) stars in this new original movie adapted from Sarah Strohmeyer’s novel “The Cinderella Pact.” It tells the story of Nola Devlin (Montgomery) and her two best friends who, in a last ditch effort to lose weight, band together to follow the advice of their “fairy godmother” and end up changing their lives forever.
◊“The Magic of Ordinary Days” (7 p.m. on CBS): A pregnant city girl (Keri Russell, “Felicity”) is married off to a farmer (Skeet Ulrich, “As Good as It Gets”) in this 2005 Hallmark Hall of Fame romance set in Colorado during World War II. They’re awkward and uncomfortable together at first, but by the time she has a chance to return to the city, she’s not sure she wants to go.
◊“Meteor Storm” (8 p.m. on Syfy): A passing meteor shower turns into a deadly storm from space that threatens to destroy San Francisco. As the city’s disaster official (Michael Trucco, “Battlestar Galactica”) tries to evacuate the population, a scientist (Kari Matchett, “Invasion”) races to unravel the mystery of the repeated strikes.
◊“Pit Boss” (9 p.m. on Animal Planet): Shorty takes on a job for a new client requiring three little people to dress up as crawfish. When Choctaw native Ronald tells Shorty the costumes are demeaning and threatens not to participate, his job is on the line.
◊“Seducing Cindy” (8 p.m. on Fox Reality Channel): Cindy Margolis (“Austin Powers” International Man of Mystery”) searches for love in this new reality dating show. Over the course of eight episodes, she will put her heart on the line with 24 potential suitors in an attempt to find her ultimate soul mate. The men range from 18 – 71 years old and come from all walks of life, and they will battle through competitive tasks for a chance to stay on Cindy’s list of potential mates.
◊“The Story of Lassie” (8 p.m. on OETA-13): In 1943, a collie catapulted to stardom in the MGM film “Lassie Come Home.” This special hosted by June Lockhart (Ruth Martin on the “Lassie” TV series) includes clips from Lassie’s feature films and TV series, as well as interviews with actors and directors who worked with the famous collie.
◊“Truth in Motion: The U.S. Ski Team’s Road to Vancouver” (7 p.m. on NBC): This documentary follows American athletes as they prepare for the competition of their lives – the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. They push the limits of their bodies and equipment from preseason on-snow training in Portillo, Chile and Saas Fee, Switzerland, to the final days leading up the start of the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup competition in Sölden, Austria.
–Penny TV
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